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Originally Posted by Frankmat  To be honest.... I cannot see it wouldn't be anything but a massive change on this planet and it's inhabitants.
Religion for a start. A lot of religions will crumble. Look at Roman Catholocism..... do we think it was a coincidence that the Vatican made an announcement only a few years back saying that if Alien life was ever found... that they too have sould and would be "children of god". The Vatican know... that their power as a church would be diminished once we did find out... because for so long the Vatican has been telling us that Earth is the only place that has children of god. People would leave in droves. |
I think you underestimate the power of any established religion - but the Roman Catholic Church especially - to adapt and justify its existance. I also think you underestimate the commitment of true believers of any faith to likewise rationalize a given reality and/or integrate into their dogma. Yes, there will be a little shaking, but that's the "hubbub" I was talking about. Things will settle and then will go on much the same as they have for thousands of years. Provided of course that the aforementioned aliens do not impose their own set of values on us poor undeveloped savages. We have only to look at the history of the United States to see how THAT could turn out. Of course, in the grand scheme of things, even THAT is not out of the ordinary.
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Originally Posted by Frankmat Will there be a push for a 1 world government to represent Earth? Who is that made up of? Will it be the US... or will it be China? or India... or Russia. Will it be the jewish or muslims or catholics? Who is going to be responsible for representing you and I on this planet in the universal government. |
You assume that there will be some kind of representation? Why is that? Popular representation is an historical anomaly with regards to large-scale civilizations. Why presume such a thing would continue?
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Originally Posted by Frankmat Science will change. |
No, our "knowledge base" may expand, but the practice of science itself will not change. And the only thing that will come of an expanded knowledge base is a realization of how much MORE we
don't know.
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Originally Posted by Frankmat What will these new beings teach us? Spirituality? That is a MASSIVE change (for the good). What about life after death? What about atheists..... will the aliens teach us about souls and reincarnation.
The world as we know it will change MASSIVELY. |
Anything that would come of these things you mention will very quickly - within a generation or two at tops - become a part of the normal human experience.
To prove this, all you have to do is look at the technological advances of the last 30 years.
How many people on this forum right now remember going to the library and doing research IN BOOKS or reading through printed copies of the Encyclopedia Britannica or World Book to write a history paper? And yet, the "information superhighway" has become an integral part of the majority of "developed" cultures across the globe.
So, from the perspective of how people will live, what they will do and how they will do it, YES, I agree, there could be massive changes. However, the fundamental Human issues that people deal with today - the very SAME Human issues people have dealt with from our genesis - they will deal with after this "announcement" and subsequent "integration".
We will continue to chop wood and carry water. We'll just use different axes and different buckets.